Racking apparatus



Oct. 29, 1946. J. 6. SMITH. 2,410,247

BACKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet l awe/whoa,

c/a/zn 6255122? Guam;

Oct. 29, 1946. J G, sMlTH 2,410,247

' -RACKI NG APPARATUS I Filed Jan. 5, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet s gvwe/wton 7 -7 g (/0727? a miiiz of such; racked Patented Oct. 29, 1946 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to racking apparatus and has relation more particularly to an apparatus of this kind especially adapted, for use in public billiard halls, and it is primarily an object of the invention to provide means whereby an effective accounting can behad of thegames played.

Iti's also an object ofv the invention to'provide' pparatus of this kind including a storage rack.

an.- forl ballsf when not in use, and wherein the release control, 1 i

Q'I'he invention also has for an object to provide an. apparatus of this kind including a spotting rack for proper placement of balls for play upon a'playing surface, sucli as a billiard table, and Whereinsuch spotting rack; is held under check control in an out of the way or inoperative position; but readily releasable ior spot ra'ckingupo deposit of'a suitable coin or other check A still further objectof the invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind including auball racls for holding the balls when; out of play "to gether with a spotting rack for initially placing theballs in playing position and wherein means;

are'provided for releasably holding the spotting rack in an out of the way or inoperative position together with means for closingthe ball rack against removal of balls 7 therefrom wherein both of such means may be made ineffective upon deposit of a single coin or other cheek.

The invention consists in the details of coris'truc'tion and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved racking apparatus whereby cert-ain limportant advan tages are attained, as Will'b'e hereinafter more fully set forth. 1 1

In order that my invention may be betterunder'stood,-'I will now proceed to describe the 'sa'rne with reference to theaccompanying"drawings, wherein: I Y

in section illustrating an apparatus constructed in'acc'or'd-ance With anembodiment of the inven- V tionfar associated billiard tablebeing shown'in fragm ejnrmn' v, i H A, Figure 2 is a'verti'cal longitudinalsection taken through the ball storage rack as herein embodied,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially on the line44 of Figure 2';

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 --5 of Figure2;

balls for, play is under check I Figure 6 a sectional view taken substantially on th line 6B,oi Figure 1; and

Figure 7 is an'enlarged detail fragmentary View partly in section and partly in elevation illus:

trating theholding dog for the weight and the.

parts immediately associated therewith.

As illustrated invthe accompanying. drawings, 13 denotes a conventional type of table used in the playing of pocket billiards or pool, and kindred.

- table B, and normally at a material height theregames. Positioned above oneend portion ofjthe above, is alconventional spotting rack or triangl Carriedbythecorner portions of the rack or triangle S, are the outstanding eye: members I, to which are afiixed' the lower extremitiesof the ilexibleinembers 2, which are arranged in upward convergence. and have their upperextremities secured to the eye. members 3 depending from a crown member jh 'Ihe central portion of the crown" member 4 is provided withthe upstanding. eye members 5. to whichare suitably aifixed the supporting flexible members 6. These flexible members orcords S extend upwardly and over the guide froller's'l depending from the ceiling of a room; oriother support, and from the rollers l saidv members or cords} 6 I are, disposed in convergence toward a sidewall ,of the room or other surface to one sideof the'table B. Theconverging ex-. ti'emities of thamembers or'cords .6 are con-,-

nected, as at. 8,.to .a single flexible, member or Figure l is'a view partly inelevationandpartly cord 9 which extendsover and downwardly from a uide 9 6: 1. upp by e side Wall of the, room or'otherwise asmayrbe preferredh a Thefleggible member or cord 9 extends downwardly into f ari upstanding'stack Ill, open at, its the; [Thisflstacig ll is mounted upon the top wall l2 of a ballstorage rack ,R' and within the stack. l l andthe bottom thereof and mounted directly on thetopwall; l2: is aubumper block M .for coac.

tion with thew'eighted'member W, freely working within thestackl l and to the upper endof which thefifl'exible rnernberorcord 9 is secured, as at a,

In' the present embodiment of the invention, the

stack! I asat one endportion of the top wall [2 andtherack R incliides the superimposed and properly spaced ball tracks I5, all disposed on an incline toward thejendhof the rack R, carrying the stack H but terminating in advance of such rack. lh e high end portions of the tracks l5, orthose extremities remote. from the stack H,

have their outer side portions cut away at l6 to allow the placing of a ball upon a selected; track l'5.

The lower: ends of the tracks [5 terminate a desired distance from the adiacent end wall I! of the rack R so that when the balls I8 drop oil? from the lower ends of the tracks I5. they will be received upon the runway I9 extending along the bottom portion of the rack R below the tracks I and extending a desired distance outwardly beyond the rack so that the players may have convenient access to the balls I8 for placement upon the table B. V

The rack R between the lower ends of the tracks I5 and the adiacent end wall I! is closed by an outer face plate 28. The rack R is also closed below the tracks I5 by the face plate 2|. Suitably mounted upon the face plate 28 and exteriorly of the rack R is a receptacle 22 into which extends a check or coin slide 23 of a conventional type for coaction with a slide 24 extending within the rack R through the face plate 2I.

Upon the proper placement of a coin or check 25. the slides 23 and,24 will be caused to have unitary inward sliding movement but when a coin or check 25 is not applied. the slide 23 will have endwise movement entirely free of the slide 24. This coin mechanism is of a conventional type wherein, when the slide 23 after the exterior ap-' plioation of a coin or check 25, has been shoved inwardly a required distance, the coin will be allowed to drop within the receptacle.

The slide 24 extends inwardly of the rack R through a suitably positioned mortise 26 provided in one Of the intermediate tracks I5, thus assuring the slide 24 tov be so positioned as to offer no hindrance or obstruction to the desired travel of a ball I8 along the track I5 immediately below the plunger 24.

The inner or inserted end of the slide 24 is operatively connected, as at 21, with the free vertical marginal portion of a plate-like holding member 23. The opposite vertical marginal portion of this holding member 28 is swingingly connected by, the conventional spring hinges 29 with theend'wall II.

These hinges 29 serve to normally maintain the inner or free vertical marginal portion of the holding member 28 in a position to intersect the grooves 21 in the tracks I5 to hold the balls l8 fromdro'oping or running off from the tracks I5. This holding position of the member 28 is determ ned by cutting out the inner sides of the tracks I5 at their low points to provide the inwardly facing shoulders 38 with which the member 28 has direct limiting contact, as particularly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings.-

When the member 28 is swung inwardly as the slide 24 is pushed inwardly, this member 28 assumes a position sufiicientlyrearwardly of the balls I8 on the racks I5 to'perrnit said balls to freeli roll off by gravity and drop down upon the runway I9 so that said balls may be readily collectedforplacement upon the table B. r

The member W is preferably twice the weight of the crown member 4' and the spotting rack S is preferably ofa weight substantially threefourths of the weight of the member W, so that the combined weights of the rack S and member 4 is greaterthan the weight of the. member W, whereby before the rack S can be returned to its raised or elevatedposition, the rack must be manually lifted. As the spotting rack S is manually lifted, the member W will drop down within the stack I I and thus automatically raise the member 4 to a height determined by the extent of downward travel of the member W within the stack. As the member W reaches substantially the limit of its downward movement, an end portion of a weighted dog or pawl 3I engages the weight W to lock the weight against upward movement, whereby when the spotting rack S is 5 released by the individual, it will be retained at a required distance above the table B to afiord no interference to the playing on the table B.

The dog or pawl 31 is pivotally carried by the top portion of an upstanding post 32 carried by the outer free corner portion of the member 28. The member W is provided therearound with an upwardly facing annular shoulder 33 with which the dog or pawl 3I engages from above when the weighted member W is in its lowered position and the member 28 is in its outward or effective position, The inner side wall 34 of the stack I I at its bottom portion is provided with a proper opening to allow the dog or pawl 3| to extend within the stack for proper coaction with the weighted member W to hold the same against upward movement. I

' However, when the member 28 is swung rearwardly into ineffective position as the result of inward movement of the slide 24, the pawl or dog 3Iwil1be carried away from the weighted member W a distance sufficient to free the dog or pawl 3i fromthe shoulder 33 of the weighted member W so that'as pull is imposed upon the raised or elevated spotting rack S, the member W will be free to move upwardly to allow the rack S to be placed upon the table B and subjected to such movements necessary to allow for the proper spotting or racking of the balls. The dog or pawl 3| has coacting therewith a suitable stop member 35 to limit the upward swinging movement of the dog or pawl but which offers no interference to the free downward swinging movement of the dog'v or pawl 3|. as the downwardly .moving member W;passes thereby.

In view of the foregoing it is believed to be readily apparent that normally the weighted member W is locked in its lowered position by the dog or pawl 3I and the holding member 28 is in a position to hold the balls on the track I5 from dropping down upon the runway I'I. However,

during the playing of a game, the pocketed balls I8 may be selectively placed upon the desired tracks I5. At the completion of the game and before a second game can be played, it will be required that a proper coin or check be applied with respect to the slides 23 and 24 and by the one operation of the slides 23 and 24, the weighted member W will be released and the member 28 moved into a position to allow the balls I8 to drop upon the runway I9 and be accessible to the player.

It is, therefore, believed to be readily apparent that aneffective accounting may be had in connection with the use of the table B and par- 0 ticularly when open to the'public and in a manner which does not require the services of an attendant. It is also to be noted that the apparatus is such as to assure perfect regulation even though the balls should not be placed within the rack R because before the spotting rack S can be used, it will be necessary that the required coin or check be deposited.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a racking apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

- What is claimed is: 7 4

1. A bell racking apparatus comprising a sorting rack including vertically spaced tracks disposed on downward inclines, a vertically arranged door-like member in advance of and closely adjacent to the low ends of th tracks, means hingedly mounting that vertical margin of the member which is remote from the tracks to permit the member to swing on a vertical axis in a direction transversely of the tracks, means for constantly urging the member to swing to a position to dispose that vertical margin which is nearest the tracks in position across the low ends of the tracks to hold the balls on the tracks from dropping therefrom, said member when swung in the opposite direction moving into a position to allow the balls to drop, and means for moving the member into said second position.

2. A ball racking apparatus comprising a frame having a front side and a ball receiving compartment in the bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced inclined tracks within the frame above said compartment and between which balls may be placed, the tracks at their lower ends being spaced from a side wall of the frame to provide a vertical passage through which the balls may pass from the tracks downwardly into said compartment, a door-like member having hinge means in the rear part of said passage and adapted to be shifted outwardly from a position in which it blocks the movement of balls from the tracks into the passage to a position where the balls may freely move from the tracks into the passage, and means for shifting said member between the stated positions.

3. A ball racking apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which said door-like member comprises a relatively long plate disposed within and to one side of said passage and extending throughout the major portion of the passage, said hinge means connecting a vertical edge of the plate with the frame, the opposite edge of the plate having limited movement across the adjacent lower ends of the tracks.

4. A ball racking device, comprising a ball storage structure including inclined ball tracks, a shiftable means positioned adjacent to the lower ends of said tracks and having two positions, said shiftable means when in one position acting to obstruct the passage of balls from the tracks and when in another position permitting free passage of the balls from the tracks, a vertically movable element mounted above said shiftable means, a flexible cable connected with said vertically movable element and designed for attachment to a piece of game apparatus, said vertically movable element when in one position maintaining said piece of apparatus against use, and means carried by the shiftable means and adapted to engage said movable element to maintain the latter in the said one position when the shiftable means is in position to prevent movement of the balls from the tracks and. releasing said vertically movable element when the shiftable means is in its other position where the balls are freed for movement from the racks.

5. A ball racking apparatus, comprising a storage structure including inclined ball tracks, a shiftable member hingedly mounted adjacent to the lower ends of the tracks and having two positions, said member when in one position having an edge arranged to check the movement of balls from the racks and when in its other position having said edge shifted to permit the balls to move from the tracks, a vertical guide mounted above the storage structure, a, body disposed in said guide for vertical movement, a flexible cable connected with said body and extending upwardly therefrom and adapted for attachment to a piece of play apparatus, the body having a down position in said guide andwhen in said down position maintaining the piece of apparatus against use, and means forming a latching coupling between the shiftable member and said body when the shiftable member is in the said one position, to maintain the body against upward movement in the guide, said latching connection being broken upon movement of the shiftable member to the said other position.

6. A structure of the character stated, comprising a storage unit for play balls including inclined ball tracks, the unit including a passage into which the balls may pass from the tracks, a swinging member mounted in said passage for pivoted movement on a vertical axis between two positions, said swinging member when in one position functioning to prevent the balls passing from the tracks into the passage and when in the other position permitting the balls to pass into the passage, a vertical guide carried by said unit above said pivoted member, a body disposed in the guide for up and down movement, a flexible cable connected with said body and extending upwardly therefrom for attachment to a piece of play apparatus, said body when in down position in the guide functioning to maintain the piece of play apparatus against use, an arm extending upwardly from said swinging member to a position at one side of said guide, a latch member carried by said arm and having an end extended into the guide, and means facilitating the connection of the latch member with the vertically movable member when the latter is in down position, said latch member being engageable with said vertically movable member only when said swinging member is in the said one position wher it functions to prevent the balls passing from the tracks into the passage.

JOHN G. SMITH. 

